Day 379 - 5:52 PM - Ruins of Maytalang I, Lumban, Laguna
Dark clouds lood in the sky, circling a hole filled with nothing but darkness. It appeared like an ominous sign of doom to innocent witnesses despite the auspicious warning it brought.
Strong winds surged on the ground below that hole in the sky. However, far from the wind blowing during storms, the surging wind did not move in a spiral. The wind surged like a ripple on the water, repeatedly spreading outward from the center.
The wind should have weakened as it moved away from the center, but it instead began to gain montum and strength. From small plants to tall trees, everything was uprooted, with damage worsening further from the source.
And the source of it all was the attempt to resurrect the supposed child of Aie.
With Mark and Elise as the anchors needed to pull the child into existence, it gave existence to a catastrophic phenonon.
However, while the specifics remained undetermined before the start, what was happening was within Mark’s expectations. When he saw the sudden deaths involving the residents of the Mountain Base, Mark realized that this attempt would cause severe damage to the surroundings.
Nonetheless, Mark did not expect sothing else to happen.
It was the sudden arrival of the [Eyes].
And it was not just Thirteenth, but all twenty-six of them. It would have been twenty-seven if not for the fact that one of them vanished under Mark’s hands after that [Eye] had been manipulated by the Evil Deity who called himself [The Great One].
Each of the [Eyes] looked different. So looked like children, similar to Thirteenth, while most appeared like humans in their pri, like Nineteenth, and so appeared older than the others. So of them were already familiar to Mark, but most of them were not.
But why would all of the [Eyes] appear here all of a sudden?
That question did not solely belong to Mark, but also to the rest of the group present.
Magwayen also appeared, even before the [Eyes] did. However, her sudden appearance had less impact, since she always ca by whenever Mark did sothing big or interesting for her.
However.
"Huh?"
Everyone was surprised once more.
An unfamiliar woman with the sa ethereal visage as Magwayen appeared without warning. She also exuded a faint pressure comparable to the Goddess of the Underworld.
She wore a white robe with red and gold linings paired with a golden crown and accessories. Her pale skin, which was almost like snow, glowed in the waning daylight covered by the dark clouds.
At one single look, everyone realized.
This woman was also a Goddess.
But who?
"Umn... Sorry..."
A familiar, faint apologetic voice entered their ears as soone else appeared before them.
It was Mitsui Sayuri, or now just Sayuri, clasping her hands in apology. The forr doll of the Mitsui Clan, who pledged to serve Mark, intruded on the event without permission.
"Since when did you..."
i asked, voice trailing off, as she was speechless at how this woman had suddenly appeared here.
"I’ve been tailing everyone since earlier, hehe," Sayuri explained. "I’m sure Boss noticed, but since he didn’t say anything, it ant he let follow."
"But how did we not notice?"
i was baffled.
"I’m really good at [Disguise Techniques]," Sayuri answered proudly. "I disguised myself to blend in with the surroundings, so no one noticed ."
"That’s not a disguise, that should be stealth, right?"
Spera grumbled.
"Ehh? No?" Sayuri tilted her head. "[Stealth Techniques] required erasing presence and such. I’m still bad at those. If everyone were even just a bit vigilant, you all would have noticed imdiately. I can only influence what people see of . That’s why it’s a [Disguise Technique]."
"That aside... Who?"
i shifted the topic as she looked at the unfamiliar woman.
"Ah, her..." Sayuri smiled bitterly as she took out a ring dangling on a necklace worn around her neck. "The Priestess gave this before departing from Japan. She ca out of this. Apparently, she’s the Goddess who blessed the Priestess’ Ancestors."
"Sorry, the Goddess told to keep it a secret."
Sayuri added with another apology.
Those words sure caused so additional turmoil.
The Goddess who blessed Priestess Hikari’s ancestors. That Goddess should be Amaterasu. It sure was a surprise.
And in this event, two Goddesses were present, in addition to the twenty-six [Eyes].
Sothing was really odd, considering this was supposed to be just helping Aie unite with her child.
While the rest were still confused, Mark, who was paying close attention to the surroundings as he guided Elise, already had his mind churning out possibilities that led to this outco.
And Mark ca to one conclusion.
It was because of one of [Mutagen]’s capabilities. The so-called [Atavistic Mutation].
Atavism. It was the reappearance of ancestral traits that had vanished through the course of evolution. And in [Mutagen]’s case, it included the old racial bloodlines and abilities.
Mark was a victim of this. It was his sudden awakening as a [Blood Demon]. While the most substantial trigger was his decision to plant the seed of a [Pure Spirit Tree], his awakening as a Demon was, without a shred of doubt, influenced by the presence of [Mutagen]. Without all these factors, his ancestry as a [Blood Demon] would not have co to light.
Aie was also the sa in this regard. She turned into an [Infected], lost many things, but gained the bloodline of the lost [Eye] of the previous [Observer], who was apparently her ancestor.
Then, the possibility of Aie’s child undergoing the sa [Atavistic Mutation] beca very high. Even more so because the child was inside Aie’s womb, not yet ford fully for birth, and got separated from her due to mysterious circumstances.
If the [Eyes] and the Goddesses appeared at the birth of Aie’s child, one thing beca certain.
It could be the birth of a new [Eye]. And this [Eye] was born not from the [Observer] or the influence of the world but within mortal hands.
"This turned out to be sothing huge... I should have considered things more."
Mark murmured with a bitter smile.
The question now was what the [Eyes] intended to do here.
Were they going to eliminate Aie’s child? That was his first thought, although it lasted only for a second. After all, the [Eyes] left Aie alone. Not to ntion that while they were allowed to guide and direct, they were not supposed to interfere directly with mortals, with a very few exceptions. Was this even one of those exceptions? Mark was inclined to think the opposite.
On the other hand, Aie looked perplexed. At the sa ti, she also looked resolute. If the [Eyes] appeared here to eliminate her child, then she would fight back till her last breath.
However, the [Eyes] did nothing as the event continued. They only stood in place, circling Mark, Elise, and Aie.
They never voiced their intention. They only stood watching as always, like when they guarded the world and humanity as a whole.
It was as if they were here only to bear witness to the birth of Aie’s child.
***
An hour passed just like that. After a few minutes, everyone stopped other activities and watched in silence. The two Goddesses, the twenty-six eyes, and the rest of Mark’s group stayed in place, waiting and watching.
The sky darkened as the sun vanished on the horizon, and night ca. Nonetheless, the area around Mark never felt dark.
Gusts of wind continued strongly. The surroundings beca flattened land with no flora still standing in the imdiate vicinity. Most were torn away by the wind, if not uprooted and flung away.
The golden hue released by Elise’s ability began to wane. Even her large pool of energy would be exhausted if used for this long without rest, not to ntion that the stone, Aie’s child, was frenziedly absorbing her energy.
On the other hand, the stone glowed increasingly. Its glow had already reached the extent that Elise and Mark could not look at it straight.
Finally, Elise reached her limit. The glow on her body vanished as she lost balance and nearly fell on her knees. Mark imdiately caught her, assisting her to remain on her feet.
Elise felt a little dismayed. She also wanted to help Aie et her child. However, her energy ran out before everything finished. But as she was about to apologize, she noticed that it was not over. She raised her head, only to turn it away by reflex.
It was because the stone that was Aie’s child continued to shine brightly, despite Elise’s predicant. In fact, the glow was growing brighter and not waning even a little.
Mark slowly pulled Elise backward.
"Our work ends at this part," Mark spoke softly. "The next part will be up to the child."
Mark’s tone and expression expressed that the birth of the child was certain.
Aie held the stone, staring at it despite its blinding glow. Her eyes showed hope and impatience, with a shred of worry flashing now and then.
It was then that the glow reached its peak, turning the night-woven surroundings as bright as day.
The stone then began to float, slowly rising from Aie’s hands. The latter panicked a little as the weight on her palms suddenly vanished.
Even so, Aie knew, by instinct, she should not forcibly pull the child back into her grasp.
The miniature sun stopped and hovered in the air about four ters above the ground. Everyone wanted to watch it, but the bright glow hindered so of them. The ones unaffected by the blinding light, the [Eyes], the two Goddesses, and Aie, continued to watch. Mark, on the other hand, only observed the surroundings through his senses.
Mark then suddenly turned his head up, staring straight at the source of the blinding light. His eyes hurt, and he could likely use [Miasma] to protect his eyes, but there was no knowing how it would affect the birth of Aie’s child. As such, Mark could only endure.
It was because Mark finally sensed a ntal and emotional fluctuation from Aie’s child.
But then, sothing surprising happened.
Mark suddenly felt sothing churning inside him. A form of energy he was familiar with. Still, he did not know how or why this energy was inside him. It was the first ti he sensed it, either. And now, it began churning as if it wanted to flow out.
Unfortunately, Mark had no idea how to control or restrain this new energy. As such, it flowed out without control, and the unexpected destination was Aie’s child.
Mark then noticed that the two Goddesses and the [Eyes] were now watching him, waiting. However, what were they waiting for?
But as the familiar, yet unfamiliar, energy flowed out of him, a thought appeared in his mind. He was unsure why, but he began thinking of what Aie’s child would look like.
Why though? The appearance of Aie’s child was not up to Mark to decide. But, without control, those thoughts began to disturb his mind.
Relenting to the thoughts, his eyes fell on Aie. A child of Aie’s visage in the past as a human would be nice. It would be sothing Aie would like. It would be a reminder of her human past before all this chaos began, and a definite proof that this child was hers.
As those thoughts ford in Mark’s mind, the child’s birth comnced. The stone’s silhouette behind the blinding light began to churn, and it left its spherical shape. As if it were clay in the middle of molding, the silhouette changed shape. Parts of it were being tugged here and there.
It only took a few monts. The stone’s silhouette was now gone. In its place, a shadowy image of an infant in fetal position erged. However, it was not all. On its back, a pair of glowing wings could be seen.
Mark also felt the flow of energy from him stop. It clearly indicated the end of the unexpected change.
The bright glow began to wane. The pair of wings, without a doubt, absorbed the light surrounding the child.
As the light vanished, it left an infant in its wake. The radiant wings covered the child’s body like a cocoon.
The radiant wings then began to wane and vanished, seemingly shattering into countless nonexistent feathers.
It was then that the child began to float down gently.
Aie quickly caught her child, joy filling her heart.
Mark’s attention was also on the child for so unexplainable reason. It was then that he realized another odd thing he had failed to notice due to his focus on the child.
It was the [Eyes].
They were now kneeling, facing Aie, no, they were facing Aie’s child.
Odd.
It was definitely odd.
Why would the [Eyes] kneel?
Then, while kneeling, the [Eyes] raised their heads and gave the baby one last look before most of them vanished, only leaving Thirteenth and Nineteenth.
It looked like they finished their mission and left as soon as they could, leaving the necessary personnel to explain the situation.
"Eha~"
An infant’s laughter then echoed. It seed that the child opened its eyes and let out a happy laugh after seeing its mother for the first ti.
Tears fell from Aie’s eyes. It was definitely the happiest occasion in her entire life.
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